Cristroga and brown Tusath

Cristroga smiled as she sat astride her father's green Trith, her father behind her. She was in pure heaven. Just the other day blue Mitanth at Talor Cliff had deemed her worthy of standing on the hatching grounds. She was a bit dissapointed that the sands were filled for the clutch already on the sands. Her father, C'fron, had only smiled and said they'd go to visit some of the other weyrs in the next few days. Thread had fallen the day before and Trith had to be patched up because of a stran that had fallen wrong. It was nothing really though considering she could fly today.

The girl laughed as three fire lizards, a white male, a blue, and a green zipped around her head and the green dragon's body as they flew. Her father got them for her shortly after her mother died when her brown was hit by a huge tangle of Thead and both dragon and rider popped between never to be seen again. She saddly remembered that day. C'fron and Trith had been seriously thinking of following the pair, but a the last moment remembered the little girl of six who was running after them crying. Her father had turned Trith back towards his daughter and scoupped her up only to take her between to the weyr that her fire lizards were to come from: SeaSparkul Weyr.

At the time, the fire lizard eggs had seemed a waist, nothing could repleace Cristroga's mother, Trogalemar, brown Maranth's rider. It was a few months before they hatched and Cristroga reseaved her first true smiles sense the death of her mother. The white had hatched first and though she impressed it she could sense that it was acttually male and so named him Temar in honor of her mother's name. The blue was next which she quickly dubbed Putar. She was turly happy when the next was a little green and she called her Jesaper. Later she'd be sad at times, but not as sad with her three little friends.

As SeaSparkul Weyr came into their sight, Trith bespoke her rider's daughter. We are almost there, little one, I hope they except you. C'fron hopes they do too, he'd like you to be a dragonrider... Your mother and Maranth would have hopped so if they were alive as well. Cristroga smiled whiping away a tear at his kind words and the mention of her mother and Trith's mate. When Maranth had dissappeared Trith vowed never to clutch again and in so doing now was able to flame thread herself instead of relying on C'fron with a flame thrower.

Trith anounced herself minutes later to the watchdragon with a bulge. The watchdragon says that they already have enough female canidates. The green anouced to both rider and daughter. You father says's we'll check another weyr, we're going between when I flap my wings three times. Cristroga nodded when she got the info and closed her eyes listening to the flaps of the green's wings. 3.... 2.... 1.... between. The darkness was cold as they traveled between to the next Weyr. Suddenly they popped out of between again. Where are we Trith? Cristroga asked the green. The green bludged out to the watchdragon before answering the girl. Sapphire Weyr, Cris, the dragon replied happly, The watchdragon says that White/Gold Galleth has layed a fine clutch, and there seems to still be room for more females. Cristroga smiled at her luck, she'd thought she'd be able to be a part of a green clutch but not a white/gold, this was unexpected!

The dragon landed and let off her passangers. C'fron hugged his daughter.

"Good luck Cris," her father told her and handed her a hide, "Give this to the Weyrwoman before you're interviewed so she knows you were searched by a dragon other than mine." Cristroga nodded and nervusly walked to where a woman waited for her. Was she the Weyrwoman? That she is, little one, she is called Jewel. Cristroga looked at the young woman before her as she got a better look at her. This woman was only about 15! We'll she'd heard of younger riders but non of them being Weyrwoman or Weyrleader. Cristroga herself was only 14 turns old. Shurging off the thought she handed the hide to Jewel giving a little curtsy.

"Weyrwoman Jewel, I've been sent to your Weyr to see if I might impress here, consisdering Talor Cliff Weyr has more than enough canidates for the sands," Cristroga smiled uncontrolably. Jewel looked at the note and chuckled as she lead the young green rider's daughter to a place to talk.

"Well," Jewel said with a nutral look on her pretty features, "Will you tell me about yourself..." suddenly the three fire lizards popped from between right above their heads. Temar landed on Cristroga's head and wrapped his claws softly about some of the girl's sandy brown hair and looked at the Weyrwoman curiously over the top of his owner's head. Putar landed on the girl's right shoulder wraping his tail about her neck protectively. Jesaper on the other hand landed in the middle of the table some how already figuring out that the woman before their master would not harm them and was of great importance.

"Or you could tell me about these three," Jewel chuckled and then looked at Cristroga closely, "These three are your's aren't they?" The girl nodded and loosened the hold Putar had on her with a chuckle.

"These are my fire lizards: Temar, Puter, and Jesaper," Cristroga replied pointing to each in turn, "Jesaper is the youngest yet smartest of my fair, as you can see she figured out before my others that you ment us no harm. She's oddly the one I trust the most with messages. Temar is smarter than Putar but still is a bit shy, 'course when it comes to Jesaper he's never shy with her. Putar's sort of my protector, he beleives everybody's out to get me and so has deemed himself worthy of sitting on my shoulder when I'm not around my father's dragon."

"So you're Weyr bred?" Jewel replies.

"Aye, a weyrbrat through and through," she chuckled, "Acttually I was not too much of a brat.... but then that's because Headwoman Kila never figured out when I had played a prank. She always said I was too kind for that."

"And who are your parents," the Weyrwoman asked.

"C'fron, green Trith's rider, and my mother was Trogalemar, brown Maranth's rider," the girl replied and stroked her blue flit's eyeridge, "She was killed durring thread fall when I was six." Jewel seemed to understand and both were sighlent for a while, minutes later the Weyrwoman broke it.

"Other than that, what has your life been like," she asked.

"I've seen many hatchings," the girl replied, her blue eyes smiling happly back at the Weyrwoman before her, "My father never had the heart to fauster me after my mother died and managed to raise me some how. I'm amazed that he could do such a think when other riders could never keep up with the task of being with their offspring and their dragon. Aside from that, I was brought up like most every kid who lives in a weyr: living and breathing dragons not to mention longing to be a dragonrider." Jewel's eyes unfouced as Cristroga talked to her and the 14 turn old girl suddenly gets nervus again. "I-is there anything else you'd like to know, Weyrwoman Jewel?"

The Weyrwoman shook her head, "No, you wait here I'll be back in a little while with mine and my Rith's vertic." Cristroga nodded, her mouth dry and hoping fitfully that she might be excepted.

Cristroga sat in subspence for the next ten minutes, she heard rubbblings of dragons outside and the cooing of her own three fire lizards. Well if this doesn't work out I'll just have to go to another weyr. I can't let down my mother, I must live for her... she died so young. The young green rider's daughter looked at her warm boots and sighed. As her hand was about to stroke Jesaper's tiny eye ridges she jumped, hearing the scuffing of the Weyrwoman's boots on stone.

"Cristroga," she called from just outside the door she'd past through a while ago, "could you come here please?" Cristroga swollowed hard and followed Jewel's voice to the entrance she'd passed through when she arrived. A gasp excaped the girl as she found Jewel standing by the largest green she'd ever seen... acttualy it was a green with a gold sheen to her hide.

"I'd like you to meet my dragon, Rith," Jewel smiled. Cristroga's mouth moved to answer but no words came out. Jewel smiled at the baffled girl softly, "Yes she is a green, yet a very special green, she was born from the same egg as her twin sister Reth, you know Reth, after all she was the one who searched you at Talor Cliff Weyr." Cristroga nodded at this still at a loose for words"Rith is also the only green who can lay gold eggs, she was ment to be a gold but her mother didn't have the strength to make it fully a gold so she split into two greens."

"So she's a sort of Queen Green," Cristroga stated finally finding her tongue. She looked at the Weyrwoman questionable and Jewel nodded. The 14 turn old girl smiled and raised her hand to rub the large green's eye ridges. Rith cooed happly back.

"Then it's unanimous," Jewel said happly, the weyrbrat looked back at the girl who was only a turn older than her questionably, "Rith agrees with me, you will stand as a canidate on our sands."

"What?" Cristroga whispered back, "I've been excepted?" Jewel mirrly nodded. The Weyrwoman then cocked her head, the greenrider's daughter hand not moved causing her to think she wasn't happy about the dission. Only when she saw the girl's three fire lizards preforming circles around her head joyfuly did she see that the girl was too shocked to show her joy.

"Cristroga," Jewel started putting a hand on the girl's shoulder bringing her out of her shock.

"Cris, if you would, Weyrwoman Jewel," Cris told her with a bright smile, "It's much quicker."

"Cris," Jewel smiled, "I'd suggest you take a ride back to Talor Cliff to gather your stuff for the canidates barracks here, if you should impress you'll be here for at least two turns." Cris nodded happly and cursied to the Weyrwoman and her Queen Green Rith.

The girl practicly bouned over to her father's dragon and hugged C'fron, "They excepted me, Dad! We must go get my stuff, who knows if the eggs will hatch while we're gone if we don't hurry." C'fron chuckled and lifted his only daughter up to his dragon's neck. The rummbling chuckles of Trith met Cris' mind. Cris, the eggs still have a few days to harden at least, but yes I agree, we should get you moved in as soon as posible so you might get to know your fellow canidates.

Cris hugged the dragons neck happly, she'd miss the green but if luck was on her side, she might have her own dragon in a few sevendays and never be lonely or sad again! These thoughts were with her as C'fron had Trith go between and she quickly retreaved her stuff from Talor Cliff Weyr. Within two hours she had moved into her canidates weyr and with all the work had fallen asleep, her white canidates robe lieing next to her. When she'd wear it was not certian, yet she would wear it some time soon.

I made a very good choose indead when I choose you, Cris, the little brown told his rider happly, Your father is very proud of the fact as is Trith, and I beleive if your mother and Maranth were still around that would be the proudest of all! Cris beamed at her dragon's words and watched as her three flits scrubbed away at Tusath's wings. She rubbed her brown's eye ridges and gave him a kiss before giving him one final swip with her hand.

The two walked back to the weyrling barracks, three flits trailing close behind them, and found a familar face in their weyr. Cris dashed up to the man and gave him a deep hug.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Cris asked. C'fron gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead and greeted Tusath before answering.

"I came to visit two of the newest members of Sapphire Weyr's dragonriders," the young man smirked. For a moment Cris was confused, then she made an "O" with her mouth as she figured out what he was talking about.

"So you've come to talk with R'tif and his orange Golonith as well," she smirked back mirroring her father's looks. C'fron nodded.

"So how's life been anyway, anything of interest?" her father asked.

"No much really, though the Weyrling Master is already getting ideas on who he'll have fly first and such," Cris replied then brightened, "He seems to think that even though Tus is small we'll be first to learn to fly and go between! As for how Temar, Putar, and Jesaper, they all love Tusath to death, almost as much as I love him." But not as much as I love you, my rider. Cris smiled at her brown and gave him a hug. She rubbed his warm brown hide and started finding cracks just as her brown commented on them. Cris, I itch.

Cris nodded and looked to her greenrider father, "I'm guessing you haven't stopped at R'tif's weyr yet and besides that I still have some carring to do with Tus, namely oiling." Her father nodded his understanding and started to go.

"You two take care of each other," C'fron commented with a smile, "And you three flits keep an eye on them, make sure they stay out of trouble." Cris and Tusath mentally chuckled at the comment while the blue, white, and green flits took it quite seriously.

Cris walked down to Sapphire Weyr's lake with her brown Tusath, or Tus as she called him. Tusath, now too big for his rider to even think about carrying him, waddled down the the water happly. He held his wings open and high as he trudged through the water and smiled back at his favorite human with bright green whirling eyes. This is a pretty place isn't it, Cris? The brownrider smiled at her dragon and hugged his head which was now almost as big as she was tall.

"Very pretty, Tus," she smiled. A curious look came over the girl's features at that time, "Would you like to stay here all the time, Tus? Not just for our two turn weyrling training but for as long as we both shall fight Thread?" You are wondering if I would like to live here or at Talor Cliff Weyr aren't you, my rider?

Cris chuckled, "Guess I can't slip that by you, so what do you think?" Your images of Talor Cliff are beautiful, just as much as it is beautiful here. Where ever you want to be, I'll be there with you, always. The brownrider smiled at her lifemate's kind words and for a time thought about the situation. Her father and uncle were back at Talor Cliff, as were some of her friends. But then again, as soon as Tusath and herself could fly between it would be easy to see them. Aside from that, she'd always lived at Talor Cliff her whole life, Sapphire Weyr was new and just as wonderful.

"I beleive we'll stay here then," she smiled, "and to make sure we do, I heard Weyrleader Clad talking about the Flame Wing for browns, maybe we should join that so we know we will never leave." Yes, yes! We would fight Thread much sooner that way! Cris nodded happly at their dession and gave a whistle. Her white flit, Temar, appeared in an instant with a hide and some writing charcoal. Scribling a quick message she sent him off to the Weyrleader. Minutes later Temar, along with Cris' blue Putar, and green Jesaper appeared with a large hide.

Tusath waddled over flapping his wings experimently as he tried to inspect the hide his rider held. What is it?

Cris grinned and showed her dragon the brightly colored hide, "Tus, m'love, we were just accepted into the Flame Wing." Tusath flapped his wings hardly giving out a loud and happy warble. So hard did he flap his wings that his front claws were raised of the ground for a moment and his back ones were coming close to it as well. Cris quickly calmed her brown.

"No offence, Tus," she cried out rubbing the area where the brown's wings begain in his back, "but we don't want you straining your wings before learning to fly. That might cause us to not get through training as fast as we should." We'll be the first to fly in our class, Cris, I am more ready for that than any of my clutchmates and will grow much bigger and much faster than most. Cris chuckled some how knowing that her dragon was right, probably because of the large size he'd grown in their short time together and the fact that he was keeping pace with some of the bronzes.

Cris had scrubbed Tusath till he gleemed so brightly that he might be mistaken for a dark bronze if one did not know the pairing. Cris had worked hard, and, with the Weyrwoman's guidance, had made her first riding harness. She now slipped this over her brown's head and to the second to last ridge, tightening the snich strap tightly knowing very well that she would never be able to strangle her dragon no matter if she tired or not. She had to stand on tip-toe to even reach the straps to tighten them and even then they were a good two hand spans away from her wiggling slim figers. Tusath crouched to give his rider an easier time. You've grown shorter, Cris.

"No, you've just grown huge in just a turn, Tus," the 15 turn old girl comment though gritted teeth. Tusath cooed at her happly and she finished her tightening of the straps. She stepped back to put on her wherhide flight jacket and to inspect her work. Happy with it she gave her brown a mental signal to raise his arm for her to use to get on. The brown obeyed with a warble. In a moment Cris was seated between the last two ridges and strapping herself in as she had done many times with her father's green dragon. You don't have to fly on her any more, I will fly you where ever you want.

"Let's get aproved to do so first, Dear Heart," she said as he started to walk out of their weyr to the waiting Weyrwoman and Weyrleader who would witness her first flight. Next to the two high ranking Weyrfolk were the Werling Master and Cris' father C'fron. The two were looked over and everything was double checked by the adults.

"When you're ready," Clad told the duo after consulting his wife and the Weyrling Master. Cris nodded as her mouth went dry. Giving the vissual signal to Tusath, the brown rocked back on his haunches and launched into the air with incredable grace and speed. It was as smooth as a seasoned dragon. I was born to fly, why should it be shakey or even a bit odd? Because, Tus, m'love, most new rider's have a little bit of a wobble in their flight. Should I put a wobble in so they don't think I'm odd. No, they would know it wasn't a true thing and would scold us for doing such a thing. The two circled around the Weyr Bowl a few times, steadly getting higher before one talked again. Rith says that it is time for us to land But we only just got up. I would like continue to fly as well, but Rith tells me that we don't want to strain my wings... and they do feel a bit stiff. Oh, I'm sorry, Tus, yes we better get down then. I'll put some numbweed on them when we get to our Weyr.

Moments later they landed and again they were checked over. With nods of aproviel, Cris was told to dismount and tend to her dragon's needs. The 15 turn old girl looked to her father and found him with a proud smirk on his face. He followed her back to her weyr and they talked for a time. In the end, C'fron was called away on an erron for his sister, Cris' aunt, Crisma. Before he left though the greenrider gave his daughter two decks of dragon poker cards; One had the people from or beholden to Sapphire Weyr in them and the other had the people from or beholden to Talor Cliff Weyr in them.

Do you know how to play Dragon Poker? Tusath asked when C'fron and Trith had gone between to Ganatek Hold.

"I used to be pretty good at it when I was at Talor Cliff," the girl replied, "guess I"ll just have to see if I still have the knack, eh?"